Snohomish County’s Greatest Hikes

I am quite excited to begin working on the 3^rd edition of Hiking in Snohomish County. I first proposed this booklet idea to the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau back in 2005. The first full color booklet included 20 hikes and instantly became a hit exhausting its 10,000 run printing rather rapidly. In 2009 I updated the brochure with a second edition that included 25 hikes and many improvements. First, the focus became just on day hikes—so the long hauls were removed. Secondly-more urban hikes were introduced to highlight the diversity of walks and trails in Washington’s third most populated county. And lastly, the overall appeal of the brochure was enhanced with better color and graphics, better maps, and a better size making the pamphlet more user-friendly and perfect for stowing away in your pack.

Now I am working on the third edition which will be released this summer. I am aiming to up the hike count again as well as replace some from the second edition. I want to include yet more urban hikes and really want to fully capture the diversity of places in the county. I have my initial list thought out, but I am curious as to what you think. What are your favorite Snohomish County hikes? And specifically, what is your favorite urban/suburban Snohomish County hike? Let me know! And I hope you are as excited about this booklet as I am. The 2009 edition is pretty hard to find these days—but you can still download a copy here. Happy Hiking!

Almost Paradise!

As far as I'm concerned, you can't have too many parks and trails. So, I'm absolutely ecstatic over the opening of Snohomish County Park's newest addition, the Paradise Valley Conservation Area. Protecting nearly 800 acres along the headwaters of Bear Creek on the King-Snohomish County Line, Paradise isn't exceptional so much in its landscapes as it is in its location. To have a parcel this large so close to the Seattle suburban sprawl is a major conservation win. Currently there are over 13 miles of trails traversing the property with more on the way. Paradise Valley makes for a good close-by get away and it'll make a great winter hiking option. While I didn't include it in my upcoming Winter Hikes of Western Washington Card Deck, I did include it in my upcoming Hiking Snohomish County Booklet. And of course you can learn more about this area through Hikeoftheweek.com where I'll be spotlighting trails from the park from time to time. Good job to all who were responsible for securing this property. Now, get to work securing some more lands before its paved over!